Saguaro bloom in Saguaro National Park, Rincon Mountain District, Tucson, Arizona, April 29, 2024

 Bob visited the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona for a couple of days near the end of April, 2024. This was still early for the saguaro cactus to be blooming, but before he left he managed to see this one bloom on a cactus right next to the loop road through the park. This was on a very tall cactus, but, since no other vehicles were coming up behind him on the one-way road, he climbed to the top of his motorhome and got this shot. This saguaro had many buds waiting to bloom.

Saguaro cactus are the largest cacti in the United States. They frequently grow as one main trunk that eventually develop "arms." The national park with their name consists of two districts near the city of Tucson. The unit to the west is called the Tucson Mountain District and the unit to the west, the one that Bob visited, is the Rincon Mountain District.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Delicate Arch during thunderstorm, Arches National Park, Utah, October 11, 2023

 On Bob's way to Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah for the October 14th annular eclipse, he visited Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. His first closeup sighting of Delicate Arch back in the early 80s is what inflicted Bob with what he calls "spanophilia," which he defines as a condition of loving natural rock spans, which makes him a "spanophile."

During this particular visit to Delicate Arch on October 11, 2023, thunderstorms were passing overhead and the clouds were letting loose of rain periodically. During the downpours, Bob just hunkered down and waited for the rain to stop. Between downpours, he got this wide angle shot with his GoPro Hero 8 Black. This was the first time Bob visited Delicate Arch when it had been rained on.

Remember, it's just not a picture, it's a story.

Fulll Moonlight over the Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, September 29, 2023

 After Bob attended the Natural Arch and Bridge Society's Fall Arch Rally at the Colorado National Monument in late September 2023, he decided to visit a number of destinations in Colorado, since he had only visited the state once before.

One of the places he wanted to visit was the Great Sand Dunes National Park in the eastern part of the state. To his surprise, the park allowed backpackers to spend the night out in the dunes. Surprising because there's no water source out there. It happened to be the night of the full moon when Bob made a point of hiking out into the dunes. He wanted to see the dunes lit up by the full moonlight. This photo is one of many he took during his overnight backpacking trip. Notice the stars in the sky as well as two tents of other backpackers in this image.

This park has the tallest sand dunes in North America, the tallest being 750 feet. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are in the background.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.